20 Candles
by Hugs6
Summary: Like in Surprise! Octavian turns a year older, but unlike in Surprise! Octavian actually gets a happy birthday. Even if he has to go it almost alone. Almost


**Just like in Surprise, its Octavian's birthday again. Except today, August 31st, is his actual birthday! Well not really, I mean not officially printed in the book saying so, but today is the day that my noble Octavian Facebook page recieved 1000 likes so today I will celebrate and write him another fanfic. :D**

 **Disclaimer: Though I probably should own Octavian I currently do not.**

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He woke up to an alarm, and wondered why he had set an alarm on a perfectly good Monday morning when he didn't have to go to work. He lived a quiet life in Alaska, a land away from the gods. He'd been given a second chance and told not to make any ripples, so he had moved here. Occasionally he would have to fight for his life against one monster or another, but he blended fairly well in and out of the mortals. He'd been their less than a year and was rather as happy as he could be alone and away from the only other place he'd ever really called homes and all the people he had almost been able to call friends. Other than that he was fine. It wasn't until he went into the kitchen for breakfast that he found his reasoning behind setting an alarm. There was a box of chocolate chip pancakes and a note that said, "Octavian, make pancakes" as well as "Happy birthday dork." He'd set this up the night before. Sometimes he was so lonely he left notes to himself.

He started making the pancakes, poured a glass of milk, and then ate his small stack, humming happy birthday to himself, a song he would probably hum at least 12 times before the day was over. He'd gotten good at handling birthdays by himself. If you got over the loneliness it could become something you actually looked forward to. This would be, indeed, a special day. He planned to treat himself. After breakfast he bakeed his birthday cake, red velvet with creamy store bought icing. After that he did the dishes, showered, and went out into town. He ate lunch at one of the restaurants, went shopping for a few groceries and two packs of Birthday candles and then went to go get his birthday present.

He had honestly wanted a dog since before coming to Camp Jupiter. Of course he had never had one but he'd always stopped to pet Argentum and Aurum. They'd despised him at first but let him pet them. He had a name picked out and a bag of kibble and a few toys and accessories in the car. Today would be the day he got his dog.

The shelter had a lot of dogs but one stood out immediately. Thick fur, a loud bark, a sort of smile in the dogs eyes that made it look happier than most of the humans Octavian had met. Octavian instantly fell in love with the dog. He signed the papers and smirked to himself at the name he'd had picked out since yesterday, when he'd been combing through a book on Pokemon he'd bought at a yard sale. Oddish. Oddish licked him at least 37 times before they left the shelter, and the big dog didn't make a fuss when they got in Octavian's car. The car was old and creaky but neither Octavian or Oddish cared. They were just glad that they had each other.

When they got home Octavian let Oddish explore for awhile, careful to keep his new friend out of anything harmful to dogs. Then they played catch in the living room for awhile. It was a pretty bare living room, nothing breakable and hardly anything worth caring about even if it did break. Octavian and Oddish were practically in love with each other, and Octavian realized that this was technically the first birthday he wasn't spending alone. Already grinning from Oddish's affection, that realization only made his grin broaden. He told Oddish that it was his birthday and Oddish licked all over his face. Octavian's blue eyes sparkled, he couldn't have been happier. When it got time for supper Octavian poured Oddish a bowl of dog food and brought out his cake. It wasn't his best job, but baking wasn't his talent. He'd get better at it though, since cake or a cupcake for dinner was kind of a tradition on his birthday, and nowadays he couldn't buy his cupcake from the New Rome bakery. He figured he might as well learn how to make cake, from a box with instructions on the back, but still. The cake was lopsided and the icing job sloppy, but the 20 candles he stuck in one by one looked lovely, as if they belonged. One by one he lit them with dollar store matches.

This had been his best birthday yet. 20 years old and he had nothing to wish for. Years past he'd wished for a friend, but that wish had been granted before he even had time to blow out the candles today. It seemed kind of perfect. He closed his eyes and tried to make a good wish, his lips puckered and he blow the candles out. It was different blowing out 20 candles on a cake than it was blowing out one on a cupcake. It took several tries to blow them all out. He removed each candle, licked off the icing and stuck them back in the box for next year, although he'd have to buy more candles, because the two boxes had only had ten each, and next year he'd need twenty one. He cut a piece and ate it, Oddish waiting patiently for more affection having finished his own cake.

"Happy birthday Octavian." Oddish's eyes seemed to say, as he rested his head in Octavian's lap.

"Yes, yes it is." He murmured back, lovingly stroking his dog's soft fur. It seemed, now, that all his birthdays would be happy from this day forward.

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 **I hope you all enjoy Octavian's happy 20th birthday!**


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